SOL Capital Management CO Reduces Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

SOL Capital Management CO lowered its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 28.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,807 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 8,470 shares during the quarter. SOL Capital Management CO's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,317,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of DIS. State Street Corp raised its position in Walt Disney by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $7,463,978,000 after purchasing an additional 490,681 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $3,609,833,000 after buying an additional 1,393,082 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $3,310,539,000 after buying an additional 2,765,389 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.4% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,850,678 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,332,297,000 after buying an additional 454,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Walt Disney by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,411,205 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,001,454,000 after acquiring an additional 114,701 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $113.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm's 50-day moving average is $112.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.44. The Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month high of $123.74. The company has a market capitalization of $205.18 billion, a PE ratio of 41.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.82 EPS. Walt Disney's quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Walt Disney's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney's payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on DIS. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.52.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Profile

The Walt Disney Company operates as an entertainment company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. The company produces and distributes film and television video streaming content under the ABC Television Network, Disney, Freeform, FX, Fox, National Geographic, and Star brand television channels, as well as ABC television stations and A+E television networks; and produces original content under the ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, FX Productions, Lucasfilm, Marvel, National Geographic Studios, Pixar, Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Studios, 20th Television, and Walt Disney Pictures banners.

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